Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who served alongside U.S. troops and was resettled in the United States under Operation Allies Welcome, critically wounded two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., in a targeted shooting.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national and former member of the Afghan army who served with U.S. Special Forces and a CIA-backed unit in Kandahar, opened fire on two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday, critically wounding them before being shot and hospitalized himself.
Lakanwal came to the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era resettlement program for Afghan allies, and was living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.
A relative who served with him in Afghanistan said, “We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” and added, “I cannot believe it that he might do this,” expressing shock at the attack.
Authorities, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have confirmed his resettlement under the U.S. program, while President Trump called for a review of Afghan entrants during the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, advocates stress that Lakanwal’s actions should not define the wider Afghan immigrant community.